r in Mrs. Blair's estimation. He was very properly
and promptly stamped upon by the fond mother and doubtless was very glad
to crawl off into the high grass, out of danger. He--"

"What has all this got to do with your present behaviour?" demanded Braden
harshly. "Speaking of vipers," he added, by way of comment.

"I am coming to that," said Mr. Thorpe, resenting the interruption but not
its sting. "After a careful campaign, Arthur Tresslyn was elected. He had
a great deal of money, a kind heart and scarcely any brains. He was an
ideal choice, everybody was agreed upon that. The fellow that Constance
was really in love with at the time, Jimmy Gordon, was a friend of your
father's. Well, the gentle Arthur went to pieces financially a good many
years ago. He played hob with all the calculations, and so we find
Constance, his wife, lamenting in the graveyard of her hopes and cursing
Jimmy Gordon for his unfaithfulness in marrying before he was in a
position to do so. If Jimmy had remained single for twelve years longer
than he did, I daresay Arthur's widow would have succeeded in nabbing him
whether or no. Arthur managed to die very happily, they say, quite well
pleased with himself for having squandered the fortune which brought him
so much misery. Now we come to Anne, Arthur's daughter. She became deeply
enamoured of a splendid, earnest young chap named Braden Thorpe, grandson
of the wealthy and doddering Templeton Thorpe, and recognised as his sole
heir. Keep your seat, Braden; I am coming to the point. This young Thorpe
trusted the fair and beautiful Anne. He set out to make a name and fortune
for himself and for her. He sought knowledge and experience in distant
lands, leaving his poor old grandfather at home with nothing to amuse
himself with except nine millions of dollars and his dread of death. While
Braden was experimenting in London, this doddering, senile old gentleman
of Washington Square began to experiment a little on his own account. He
set out to discover just what sort of stuff this Anne Tresslyn was made of
and to prove to himself that she was worthy of his grandson's love. He
began with the girl's mother. As soon as possible, he explained to her
that money is a curse. She agreed that money is a curse if you haven't got
it. In time, he confessed to her that he did not mean to curse his
grandson with an unearned fortune, and that he intended to leave him in
his will the trifling sum of fifty thousand dolla